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Month: March 2014

The Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) is a social, non-parasitic cuckoo found widely in open and semi-open habitats of eastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and north-eastern Argentina. It is monotypic within the genus Guira, and is related to the anis.

It has whitish-buff underparts and rump, dark brownish upperparts, a broadly white-tipped dark tail that is relatively long, an orange-rufous crest, bare yellow ocular-skin (commonly fades in captivity), and a relatively heavy, orange-yellow bill. It is generally rather shaggy-looking and has a total length of approximately 34 cm (13 in). Like other members of the subfamily Crotophaginae, the Guira Cuckoo gives off a strong, pungent odour.

The Guira Cuckoo is arboreal, but can frequently be seen on the ground, usually in flocks of 6 to 18 individuals. It is sometimes seen with other birds such as the Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) whose behaviour is similar.

The Guira Cuckoo is a bird of open habitats and therefore has expanded its range on human-altered wooded areas, being found even in suburban parks and gardens. It feeds on large arthropods, frogs, eggs, small birds (especially nestlings) and small mammals such as mice. As it is not an accomplished flier, mostly gliding or hopping from one perch to another – clumsier, but otherwise similar to the related Squirrel Cuckoo – it acts as an opportunistic predator, gathering small prey items on the ground or searching for them among branches. The Guira Cuckoo is often seen in small groups in open habitats, gliding from one treetop to another foraging, while vocalizing loudly. The bird’s call is unmistakable for being long and shrill, something between a long whistle and a wailing.

The nest is built on a tree fork 2 to 5 m (7–16 ft) from the ground. The eggs (from 5 to 7) are dark green and covered with a chalky layer. They are incubated either in individual or community nests; in the latter one can find up to 20 eggs. Under community nests there are many broken eggs. The competition between young being great, mortality is significant.

The Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) is a pheasant-sized Australian songbird, measuring approximately 100 cm (39 in) long and weighing around 1 kg (2.2 lb), with brown upper body plumage, greyish-brown below, rounded wings and strong legs. Among all extant songbirds only the Common and Thick-billed Ravens regularly outweigh it and only the much more slender Black Sicklebill can rival its length.

The Superb Lyrebird is featured on the reverse side of the Australian 10 cent coin.

An Australian endemic, the superb lyrebird can be found in the forests of southeastern Australia, from southern Victoria to southeastern Queensland. Its diet consists mainly of small invertebrates found on the forest floor or in rotting logs. In the 1930s a small number were introduced to Tasmania amongst ill-founded fears it was in danger of becoming extinct. The Tasmanian population is currently thriving. Now widespread and common throughout its large range, the Superb Lyrebird is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The male is the bearer of the most elegant of all tails. The tail has sixteen feathers, with the two outermost together forming the shape of a lyre. Next within are two guard plumes and twelve long, lace-like feathers, known as filamentaries. Seven years are required for the tail to fully develop. During courtship displays, the male inverts his tail over his head, fanning his feathers to form a silvery white canopy. Young males and females have brown tail feathers which are camouflaged against the forest floor.

The superb lyrebird has an extraordinary ability to accurately mimic a huge variety of sounds. Both male and female lyrebirds sing but males are louder and sing more often.

In David Attenborough’s Life of Birds (ep. 6), the lyrebird is described as able to imitate twenty bird species’s calls, and a male is shown mimicking a car alarm and various camera shutters.

A recording of a Superb Lyrebird mimicking sounds of an electronic shooting game, workmen and chainsaws was added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.

Superb lyrebirds breed in the depth of winter. Adult males start singing half an hour before sunrise from roosts high above the forest floor. Superb lyrebirds sing less often at other times of year but a stroll through their habitat on a rainy or misty day will sometimes find them active.

Superb lyrebirds have a promiscuous mating system. During the breeding season adult females and males defend separate territories and only females care for young. A female may visit several males before she mates but it is not known if she mates more than once. The female lays a single egg and builds a domed nest often camouflaging it with ferns or moss.[4] The chick spends about nine months with the female before becoming independent.

One of the two lyrebirds in the family Menuridae, the other being the much rarer Albert’s Lyrebird.

The scientific name has been previously given as Menura superba. The bird was first illustrated and described scientifically as such by Major-General Thomas Davies on 4 November 1800 to the Linnean Society of London. His work shows the tail feathers correctly displayed.

Lyrebirds are ancient Australian animals. The Australian Museum has fossils of lyrebirds dating back to about 15 million years ago. The prehistoric Menura tyawanoides has been described from early Miocene fossils found at the famous Riversleigh site.

The Great Tit (Parus major) is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It is generally resident, and most Great Tits do not migrate except in extremely harsh winters. Until 2005 this species was lumped with numerous other subspecies. DNA studies have shown these other subspecies to be distinctive from the Great Tit and these have now been separated as two separate species, the Cinereous Tit of southern Asia, and the Japanese Tit of East Asia. The Great Tit remains the most widespread species in the genus Parus.

The Great Tit is a distinctive bird, with a black head and neck, prominent white cheeks, olive upperparts and yellow underparts, with some variation amongst the numerous subspecies. It is predominantly insectivorous in the summer, but will consume a wider range of food items in the winter months, including small hibernating bats. Like all tits it is a cavity nester, usually nesting in a hole in a tree. The female lays around 12 eggs and incubates them alone, although both parents raise the chicks. In most years the pair will raise two broods. The nests may be raided by woodpeckers, squirrels and weasels and infested with fleas, and adults may be hunted by Sparrowhawks. The Great Tit has adapted well to human changes in the environment and is a common and familiar bird in urban parks and gardens. The Great Tit is also an important study species in ornithology.

The Great Tit was originally described under its current binomial name by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae. Its scientific name is derived from the Latin parus “tit” and maior “larger”.

The 11 subspecies of the Cinereous Tit were once lumped with the Great Tit but recent genetic and bioacoustic studies now separate that group as a distinct species.
The Great Tit was formerly treated as ranging from Britain to Japan and south to the islands of Indonesia, with 36 described subspecies ascribed to four main species groups. The major group had 13 subspecies across Europe, temperate Asia and north Africa, the minor group’s nine subspecies occurred from southeast Russia and Japan into northern southeast Asia and the 11 subspecies in thecinereus group were found from Iran across south Asia to Indonesia. The three bokharensis subspecies were often treated as a separate species, Parus bokharensis, the Turkestan Tit. This form was once thought to form a ring species around the Tibetan Plateau, with gene flow throughout the subspecies, but this theory was abandoned when sequences of mitochondrial DNA were examined, finding that the four groups were distinct (monophyletic) and that the hybridisation zones between the groups were the result of secondary contact after a temporary period of isolation.

A study published in 2005 confirmed that the major group was distinct from the cinereus and minor groups and that along with P.m. bokharensis it diverged from these two groups around 1.5 million years ago. The divergence between the bokharensis and major groups was estimated to have been about half a million years ago. The study also examined hybrids between representatives of the major andminor groups in the Amur Valley where the two meet. Hybrids were rare, suggesting that there were some reproductive barriers between the two groups. The study recommended that the two eastern groups be split out as new species, the Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus), and the Japanese Tit (Parus minor), but that the Turkestan Tit be lumped in with the Great Tit. This taxonomy has been followed by some authorities, for example the IOC World Bird List. The Handbook of the Birds of the World volume treating the Parus species went for the more traditional classification, treating the Turkestan Tit as a separate species but retaining the Japanese and Cinereous Tits with the Great Tit, a move that has not been without criticism.

The nominate subspecies of the Great Tit is the most widespread, its range stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to the Amur Valley and from Scandinavia to the Middle East. The other subspecies have much more restricted distributions, four being restricted to islands and the remainder of the P. m. major subspecies representing former glacial refuge populations. The dominance of a single, morphologically uniform subspecies over such a large area suggests that the nominate race rapidly recolonised a large area after the last glacial epoch. This hypothesis is supported by genetic studies which suggest a geologically recent genetic bottleneck followed by a rapid population expansion.

The genus Parus once held most of the species of tit in the family Paridae, but morphological and genetic studies led to the splitting of that large genus in 1998. The Great Tit was retained in Parus, which, along with Cyanistes comprise a lineage of tits known as the “non-hoarders”, with reference to the hoarding behaviour of members of the other clade. The genus Parus is still the largest in the family, but may be split again. Other than those species formerly considered to be subspecies, the Great Tit’s closest relatives are the White-naped and Green-backed Tits of southern Asia. Hybrids with tits outside the Parus genus are very rare, but have been recorded with Blue Tit, Coal Tit, and probably Marsh Tit.

The Chukar Partridge or Chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a Eurasian upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the Rock Partridge, Philby’s Partridge and Przevalski’s Partridgeand treated in the past as conspecific particularly with the first. This partridge has well marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across the eye and running down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. The species has been introduced into many other places and feral populations have established themselves in parts of North America and New Zealand.

The Chukar is a rotund 32–35 cm (13–14 in) long partridge, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly. The shades vary across the various populations. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks, red legs and coral red bill. Sexes are similar, the female slightly smaller in size and lacking the spur.[2] The tail has 14 feathers, the third primary is the longest while the first is level with the fifth and sixth primaries.

It is very similar to the Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) with which it has been lumped in the past but is browner on the back and has a yellowish tinge to the foreneck. The sharply defined gorget distinguishes this species from the Red-legged Partridge which has the black collar breaking into dark streaks near the breast. Their song is a noisy chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar from which the name is derived. The Barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara) has a reddish brown rather than black collar with a grey throat and face with a chestnut crown.

Other common names of this bird include Chukker (sometimes spelled as ‘Chuker’ or ‘Chukor’), Indian Chukar and Keklik.

This partridge has its native range in Asia, including Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, along the inner ranges of the Western Himalayas to Nepal. Further west in southeasternEurope it is replaced by the Red-legged Partridge, Alectoris rufa. It barely ranges into Africa on the Sinai Peninsula. The habitat in the native range is rocky open hillsides with grass or scattered scrub or cultivation. In Israel and Jordan it is found at low altitudes, starting at 400 m (1,300 ft) below sea level in the Dead Sea area, whereas in the more eastern areas it is mainly found at an altitude of 2,000 to 4,000 m (6,600 to 13,100 ft) except in Pakistan, where it occurs at 600 m (2,000 ft). They are not found in areas of high humidity or rainfall.

It has been introduced widely as a game bird, and feral populations have become established in the United States Rocky Mountains, Great Basin, high desert areas of California, Canada, New Zealand and Hawaii. Initial introductions into the US were from the nominate populations collected from Afghanistan and Nepal. It has also been introduced to New South Wales in Australia but breeding populations have not persisted and are probably extinct. A small population exists on Robben Island inSouth Africa since it was introduced there in 1964

The Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand. It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family. The name tui is from the Maori language name tūī and is the species’ formal common name. The plural is tui in modern English, or ngā tūī in Māori usage. Some speakers still use the ‘-s’ suffix to produce the Anglicised form tuis to indicate plurality; however, this practice is becoming less common. The early European colonists called it the Parson Bird, but, as with many New Zealand birds, the Maori name tui is now the common name and the english term is archaic.

At first glance the bird appears completely black except for a small tuft of white feathers at its neck and a small white wing patch, causing it to resemble a parson in clerical attire. On closer inspection (see image) it can be seen that tui have brown feathers on the back and flanks, a multicoloured iridescent sheen that varies with the angle from which the light strikes them, and a dusting of small, white-shafted feathers on the back and sides of the neck that produce a lacy collar.

Tui are found through much of New Zealand, particularly the North Island, the west and south coasts of the South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands—where an endangered sub-species particular to these islands exists. Other populations live on Raoul Island in the Kermadecs,[6] and in the Auckland Islands (where, with the New Zealand Bellbird, it is the most southerly species of honeyeater). Populations have declined considerably sinceEuropean settlement, mainly as a result of widespread habitat destruction and predation by mammalian invasive species.

Nonetheless, the species is considered secure and has made recoveries in some areas, particularly after removal of livestock has allowed vegetation to recover. Predation by introduced species remains a threat, particularly stoats, theCommon Myna (which compete with tui for food and sometimes takes eggs), and rats.

Tui prefer broadleaf forests below 1500 metres, but will tolerate quite small remnant patches, regrowth, exotic plantations and well-vegetated suburbs. They are one of the most common birds found in urban Wellington. They are usually seen singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, but will congregate in large numbers at suitable food sources, often in company with silvereyes, Bellbirds (another New Zealand honeyeater), or kererū (New Zealand wood pigeon) in any combination. Generally, when interspecific competition for the same food resources among New Zealand’s three species of honeyeater occurs, there is a hierarchy with the tui at the top, with bellbirds and stitchbirds successively subordinate to the species above them—they are thus frequently chased off by tui at a food source such as a flowering flax plant.

Male tui can be extremely aggressive, chasing all other birds (large and small) from their territory with loud flapping and sounds akin to rude human speech. This is especially true of other tui when possession of a favoured feeding tree is impinged. Birds will often erect their body feathers in order to appear larger in an attempt to intimidate a rival. They have even been known to mob harriersand magpies.

The powered flight of tui is quite loud as they have developed short wide wings, giving excellent maneuverability in the dense forest they prefer, but requiring rapid flapping. They can be seen to perform a mating display of rising at speed in a vertical climb in clear air, before stalling and dropping into a powered dive, then repeating. Much of this behaviour is more notable during the breeding season of early spring—September and October. Females alone build nests of twigs, grasses and mosses.

Nectar is the normal diet but fruit and insects are frequently eaten, and pollen and seeds more occasionally. Particularly popular is the New Zealand flax, whose nectar sometimes ferments, resulting in the tui flying in a fashion that suggests that they might be drunk. They are the main pollinators of flax, kowhai, kaka beak and some other plants. Note that the flowers of the three plants mentioned are similar in shape to the tui’s beak—a vivid example of mutualistic coevolution.

Tui are considered to be very intelligent, much like parrots. They also resemble parrots in their ability to clearly imitate human speech, and were trained by Māori to replicate complex speech. Tui are also known for their noisy, unusual call, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds. Songbirds have two voice boxes and this is what enables them to perform such a myriad of vocalisations. Tui song also exhibits geographical, microgeographic, seasonal, gender and individual variation.

Some of the wide range of tui sounds are beyond the human register. Watching a tui sing, one can observe gaps in the sound when the beak is agape and throat tufts throbbing. However, ongoing research has so far failed to detect ultrasound within tui vocalisations. Tui will also sing at night, especially around the full moon period.

The Saffron Toucanet (Pteroglossus bailloni) is a species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. It was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Baillonius, but Kimura et al. (2004) was able to show that the Saffron Toucanet belongs in the genus Pteroglossus. It is found in Atlantic Forest in far north-eastern Argentina, south-eastern Brazil, and eastern Paraguay.

It is a relatively long-tailed toucan with a total length of 35–40 cm (14–16 in). As suggested by its common name, it is, uniquely among toucans, overall saffron yellow. The back and tail are darker, more olive in colour. The rump, ocular skin and patches on the basal half of the otherwise greenish-horn bill are red. The iris is pale yellowish.

It is threatened by habitat loss and currently considered Near Threatened by BirdLife International. It occurs in several protected areas, such as the Itatiaia National Park and Parque Estadual Intervales; both in south-eastern Brazil.

Despite its bold colouration, in its natural habitat the saffron toucanet is relatively inconspicuous, as it generally creeps around the tree-tops in pairs or small groups searching for fruits such as figs and palm fruits. One observation of this species suggests that it may also eat young birds, as an adult was observed to throw a female woodpecker from its nest, and then clamber inside where it remained for over three hours.

The saffron toucanet breeds during June and July in the far north of its range, and December to April in all other regions. Courtship involves the male singing and feeding the female, as well as mutual preening. Once formed, breeding pairs construct a nest by excavating out an old woodpecker hole. The female lays a clutch of two or three eggs, which are incubated by both parent birds for around 16 days. The saffron toucanet has been known to live for over 13 years in captivity.

The Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) is a species of hummingbird. The Allen’s Hummingbird is a small bird, with mature adults reaching only 3 to 3½ inches (75 to 90 mm) in length. The male Allen’s has a green back and forehead, with rust-colored rufous flanks, rump, and tail. The male’s throat is also an iridescent orange-red. The female and immature Allen’s Hummingbirds are similarly colored, but lack the iridescent throat patch, instead having a series of speckles on their throat. Females are mostly green, featuring rufous colors only on the tail, which also has white tips. The immature Allen’s Hummingbirds are so similar to the female Rufous Hummingbird that the two are almost indistinguishable in the field. Both species’ breeding seasons and ranges are common factors used to differentiate between the two species in a particular geographical area.

The Allen’s Hummingbird is common only in the brushy woods, gardens, and meadows of coastal California from Santa Barbara north, and a minuscule portion of lower Oregon. The nominate race of Allen’s Hummingbird S.s. sasin is migratory, and winters along the Pacific coast of central Mexico. A second race S.s. sedentarius is a permanent resident on the Channel Islands off southern California. This population colonized the Palos Verdes Peninsula of Los Angeles County in the 1960s and has since spread over much of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

The courtship flight of the male Allen’s Hummingbird is a frantic back and forth flight arc of about 25 feet (7.5 m) similar to the motion of a swinging pendulum, followed by a high-speed dive from about 100 feet (30 m). The male is also highly aggressive and territorial. Hot-tempered despite its diminutive stature, a male Allen’s Hummingbird will chase any other males from its territory, as well as any other hummingbird species, and they have even been known to attack and rout predatory birds several times larger than themselves such as kestrels and hawks.

The Allen’s Hummingbird constructs its nest out of plant fibers, down, and weed stems, coating the nest with lichens to give it structure. The nest is placed above ground on a tree branch or the stalk or stem of a plant. The female lays two white eggs, which she will incubate for 15 to 17 days. The young will leave the nest about three weeks after hatching. The mother will continue to feed the fledglings for several more weeks, then the young are left to fend for themselves.

Like all hummingbirds, the Allen’s Hummingbird’s high rate of metabolism requires it to feed frequently, about every hour. The Allen’s Hummingbird drinks nectar from flowers, as well as eating any small insects it finds crawling around the flower blossom, which provide it with needed protein.

The common name commemorates Charles Andrew Allen (1841–1930), American collector and taxidermist.

A hybrid between this species and Anna’s Hummingbird has been described as Floresi’s Hummingbird, “Selasphorus” floresii.

The Violet-bellied Hummingbird (Damophila julie) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is monotypical for genus Damophila. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru; it can occasionally be seen in Costa Rica.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

The Violet-bellied Hummingbird is a tiny, brilliant hummingbird of the Choco region, extending from central Panama to northwestern Peru largely along the Pacific lowlands. It is largely iridescent green, with a contrasting bright violet breast and belly. It occurs in forest and forest edge in both humid and semi-dry regions. It feeds on the nectar of various flowering shrubs and trees as well as on aerial insects. The nest is made of plant down and placed on a branch.

The Wine-Throated Hummingbird (Atthis ellioti) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.[1] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.[1] With a length of 7 cm, it is one of the smallest birds within its range. Male Wine-throated Hummingbirds have extravagant magenta gorgets but the throats of females are plain. These tiny hummers inhabit humid and semi-humid forests, pine-oak woodlands, and neighboring shrubby areas. Wine-throated Hummingbirds primarily feed on nectar and are able to easily steal nectar from the floral territories of other hummingbirds since they resemble a bee in size and flight pattern. During courtship displays. Males move back and forth in front of females as they call continuously.

The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons) is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

The upperparts are largely blue-black, with a large white rump patch, and there is also a broad dark stripe through the eye reaching to the ‘shoulder’. The crown and belly are red, the flanks heavily dark-barred, and the throat, forehead, and eye-ring are yellow, while females lack the red crown. The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker forms a superspecies with the Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus), which is exclusively Amazonian in distribution, whereas the present species is confined to southeast South America, where it is endemic to humid forest and semi-open wooded areas within the Atlantic Forest biome, from southeast Brazil to eastern Paraguay and northeast Argentina. Like otherMelanerpes, the Yellow-fronted Woodpecker breeds cooperatively, with up to four males and two females attending a single nest.